The New Establishment

Judd Apatow: The New Establishment

age: 44. last year’s ranking: 20. LATEST EVIDENCE OF INFALLIBILITY: No longer just a filmmaker for dudes, Apatow followed up on producing last year’s blockbuster Bridesmaids with Girls, Lena Dunham’s critically beloved HBO series. The tsunami of backlash against the series came as no surprise to Apatow. “I told Lena what every blogger would say six months before the show aired. The show is meant to be debated. It’s supposed to amuse you and, for some, bug you—it’s a conversation starter.” TWITTER FEUD: In April, Apatow took a swipe at Howard Stern for overhyping America’s Got Talent (Stern is a judge on the TV show) on the shock jock’s Sirius radio show, tweeting: “Too much synergy.” Stern then fired back: “Hey man, do I talk about that last shitty film you made? I keep it to myself.” The two have since made up and Apatow says he’s still Stern’s “biggest fan.” DRAMATIC DISPLAY: At this year’s Critics Choice Awards, while accepting the best-comedy award for Bridesmaids, Apatow slammed Jerry Lewis, saying that the veteran comedian “once said that he didn’t think women were funny. So I’d just like to say, with all respect, fuck you.” STAY TUNED: After a so-so year as a movie producer (neither Wanderlust nor The Five-Year Engagement did great business), Apatow returns as a writer-director in December with his much-anticipated sequel to Knocked Up. OFFSPRING WATCH: Thirteen-year-old Maude Apatow is not only a budding actress, appearing in three of her dad’s films (Knocked Up, Funny People, and the upcoming This Is 40), but a Twitter star with over 61,000 followers. YEAR AHEAD: ↗